This deck was conceived by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. The Major
Arcana were drawn by Josephine Gill (The Gill Tarot), while the
Court Cards and Minor Arcana were drawn some years later by
Anthony Clark (The Magickal Tarot). The cards are a little larger
than average at 4 5/8" X 3 1/8". The Major Arcana art
is excellent with intense colors and good detail. My only caveat
is that all of the people have extremely large eyes. Each card
has the number in the top border and the name and Hebrew letter
in the bottom border. The letter assignments are the same as the
Golden Dawn. The majority of the Major Arcana scenes will be
familiar to those familiar with the Rider-Waite (Waite-Smith) or
other Golden Dawn-based decks; however, some cards such as the
Magician and the Priest (Hierophant) show an Egyptian influence.
The suits are:

Weapons (Swords - Fire)

Staves (Wands - Air)

Crescents (Cups - Water)

Spheres (Pentacles/Disks - Earth)

Note that the elements for Weapons and Staves have been
changed from the Golden Dawn assignments. The Court Cards have
also been changed:

Maker (King)

Giver (Queen)

User (Knight)

Keeper (Page)

The Court Cards are assigned to Major Arcana cards whose power
they are said to manifest. For example "...the
Maker of each suit manifests the power of the archetypal Fool,
that is, he represents the supernal power of Chockmah residing in
the Son/Fool." The Giver manifests the power of
the High Priestess, the User, the power of the Emperor and the
Keeper, the power of the Empress. The Aces (called Primes) play a
key role in this schema as they "...are
given in dreams to the Maker, and in the number cards we see
these primes as they affect the manifested world and those who
live within its boundaries." Information about
the Primes is included in the section on the Court Cards. As
previously stated, the Court Cards and Minor Arcana were drawn by
Anthony Clark and the difference in style is quite obvious.

The Minor Arcana, numbered two through ten, are a combination
of scenes and pips. Some cards have little more than the number
of the suit item arranged in a pattern, though the pattern is
meaningful. Others have scenes, some with backgrounds only and
others with backgrounds and people. Clark is also a talented
artist and his work is both colorful and detailed, particularly
in the court cards.

This deck is sold as a deck/book set and is packaged in one of
those horrid plastic cases. The book begins by giving the history
of the deck and how it came to be drawn by two different artists.
The differences from traditional Tarot discussed above are
described, though not explained in any detail. Servants of the
Light is a mystery school and the reasoning behind many of
the changes may be only known to initiates. There is a black and
white reproduction of each card. The imagery of each card is
described in some detail, and both an upright and reversed
interpretation are given. The reader is sometimes referred to
other authors, such as Emily Peach. Overall, the interpretations
are quite traditional (Golden Dawn-based). There is a short
section on reading the cards which, again, basically refers you
to the Tarot books written by Emily Peach and Eileen Connolly.
Three spreads are provided: The Stairway Spread, The Pythoness
Spread, which is basically a 12 month spread, and the Twenty
Questions Spread, which is designed for two people.
Ashcroft-Nowicki has written a second book for this deck titled Inner
Landscapes.

I recommend this deck for those interested in the Western
Mystery Tradition as taught by the Servants of the Light, or for
those looking for a deck that is esoteric, but not entirely
Golden Dawn-based. While the creator of this deck does not use
the Tarot for divination, her husband does, and she acknowledges
that both divination and "...exploration
of unknown levels of experience" are valid uses
of this deck. I do not know if this deck is still in print. I
have not seen it in any of my local stores, but it may be
available through the Servants of the Light or by special order.

The card shows the dropped curtain
of a stage, the scenery behind is still in place, showing a blue
sky and orange sun. Below is the reality, in true Shakespearean
fashion there is a body stabbed behind the arras, with ten
swords. A pool of blood oozes down towards the footlights, and
the dead hand points in a futile gesture to a lightning bolt.

This is not a card to joke about, it
has nothing even remotely cheering in it. It can mean a violent
accident or even death, and certainly misfortune on a grand
scale. It may act as a warning to the questioner to take
precautions.

It may also mean not death,, but
ruination, pain and affliction, and the bringing of all this not
only onto yourself but onto others. Referring again to Emily
Peach's Tarot Prediction: 'It must be
remembered that the suit of Swords is one that represents mental
action...it is therefore to these aspects of life that one must
look...' Reversed it could mean the making of profit, but not for
long, one that will soon disappear.